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Arsenal might not be doing so well thus far into 2020-21, but the North London side are still one of the Premier League’s true giants. Three-time winners of the Premier League title, Arsenal, is home to some of the world’s best right now, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Partey.
But do Mikel Arteta’s side pay huge wages in comparison to their rivals? The answer is almost certainly yes. Arsenal are amongst the best-paying clubs in the Premier League, hence why great players have flocked to the Emirates over the years.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the weekly wages of Arsenal’s first-team stars during the 2020-21 season.
Note: all figures have been taken from Spotrac.com. Where data was unavailable or inaccurate, Sportekz.com was used. All data for Runar Alex Runarsson was unavailable.
#28 Joe Willock - £20,000 per week
One of the latest players to break through Arsenal’s academy into their first team, Joe Willock, is clearly a highly talented player. The 21-year-old already has two goals and one assist inside three Europa League appearances this season and will now be hoping to translate that form onto the Premier League stage.
Arsenal clearly have high hopes for him, and while he isn’t too highly paid right now, it’s expected that he’ll be a fixture at the club for some time. His current contract runs until 2023.
#27 Reiss Nelson - £20,000 per week
Once considered the hottest prospect in Arsenal’s academy, Reiss Nelson’s development has slowed somewhat over the past two seasons. A loan deal to Hoffenheim saw him score seven Bundesliga goals, but he’s found first-team chances hard to come by since returning to the Emirates in 2019.
However, it’s clear that Nelson has a lot of raw ability, and Mikel Arteta will definitely be hoping to get him back on the fast track to stardom soon. With a contract running until 2024, he’s got plenty of time on his side.
#26 Ainsley Maitland-Niles - £35,000 per week
The versatile Ainsley Maitland-Niles was linked with a move away from the Emirates this summer but instead remains an Arsenal player. Since then, he’s made nine appearances in all competitions and has also made his senior debut with England.
Able to play in practically any position on the field, Maitland-Niles is a great addition to any squad but may need to find some more consistency if he’s to really cement his place in Arsenal’s starting XI this season.
#25 Bukayo Saka - £35,000 per week
Bukayo Saka made the news this summer when he inked a new contract with Arsenal this summer to keep him at the Emirates until 2024. Saka reportedly increased his wages tenfold and now makes around £35k per week.
One of the best young players in the Premier League, Saka, has made his senior England debut this season and has already appeared in seven of Arsenal’s Premier League games, scoring one goal. Able to play as both a defender or attacker, Saka’s importance to Mikel Arteta’s cause cannot really be understated at this stage.
#24 William Saliba - £40,000 per week
Signed by Arsenal in the summer of 2019, 19-year-old defender William Saliba has yet to make a first-team appearance for the Gunners. The Frenchman spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Saint-Etienne and has recently returned to North London.
However, despite being well-paid with a £40k-per-week contract, it’s been reported that Arsenal may be willing to loan him back to Saint-Etienne for another campaign. Essentially, the youngster is seen as one for the future at the Emirates.
#23 Eddie Nketiah - £45,000 per week
Now the all-time top scorer for England’s U21 side, Eddie Nketiah has made a major breakthrough since Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal manager. Often preferred as the Gunners’ main striker, Nketiah has made 31 appearances in the last two seasons, scoring seven goals.
A natural finisher in front of goal, Nketiah is contracted at the Emirates until 2023, making a reported £45k per week. The 21-year-old clearly has a bright future ahead of him, and Arsenal fans will be hoping he can continue to make an impact.
#22 Gabriel Magalhaes - £50,000 per week
A signing from Lille in September 2020, Brazil’s Gabriel was brought to Arsenal in order to shore up their defense. He made an immediate impact on his Premier League debut, scoring against Fulham, and has practically been an ever-present since.
At the age of 22 and with his £50k-per-week contract stretching until 2025, Arsenal fans will be hoping that he can become a mainstay of their backline for years to come.
#21 Calum Chambers - £50,000 per week
Now one of Arsenal’s longest-serving players, having joined the club in 2014, it’s safe to say that Calum Chambers has not quite reached his potential yet. Still only 25 years old, the defender was expected to become a first-team regular at the Emirates, but injuries have largely prevented that.
The former Southampton man made 14 appearances in the 2019-20 campaign but has yet to appear this season. With his current deal due to expire in the summer of 2022, his time at Arsenal may be coming to an end.
#20 Mohamed Elneny - £50,000 per week
Most observers were stunned when Mikel Arteta bought Mohamed Elneny back from the cold at the start of the 2020-21 season and restored him to Arsenal’s starting XI. After all, the Egyptian international had spent 2019-20 on loan at Besiktas and wasn’t expected to return.
However, he’s had a positive impact in Arsenal’s midfield since returning, and it now wouldn’t be a surprise to see him extend his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2022.
#19 Dani Ceballos - £51,923 per week
Passing master Dani Ceballos is currently on loan at Arsenal from Real Madrid, which might explain his relatively low wage of £51k per week. The 24-year-old is now in his second season at the Emirates, where he’s been in and out of the first team.
However, he seems to be part of Mikel Arteta’s preferred midfield now – meaning that Gunners fans will hopefully appreciate the skills that he brings to the table. If he can continue to make an impact, there’s every chance Arsenal will attempt to sign him permanently at the end of the season.
#18 Rob Holding - £65,000 per week
Signed from Bolton Wanderers back in 2016, Rob Holding hasn’t always found life at Arsenal easy. The central defender was just beginning to establish himself as part of the Gunners’ starting XI when he tore his ACL, and since then, he’s only made a handful of appearances.
However, with a calm nature and a strong range of passing from the back, Holding has begun to break back into Mikel Arteta’s plans. He’s clearly a talented player, and Arsenal fans will hope that he continues to improve for the remainder of his current deal, which expires in 2023.
#17 Cedric Soares - £75,000 per week
A curious signing if there ever was one, defender Cedric Soares joined Arsenal on loan from fellow Premier League side Southampton in January 2020 and then made his move permanent in July. However, he made just five appearances in 2019-20 and has not played a single Premier League game in 2020-21.
Whether Arsenal will keep him for much longer is a question mark – he’s already 29 years old and is on a hefty wage of £75k per week. If they do want him to leave, they’ll probably have to sell him, as his deal doesn’t expire until 2024.
#16 Kieran Tierney – £80,769 per week
Arguably one of Arsenal’s best signings in recent years, Kieran Tierney joined the Gunners from Celtic in the summer of 2019. One of the Premier League’s best attacking full-backs, the Scotland international is now beginning to make an impact after an injury-hit 2019-20 campaign.
The current season has seen the 23-year-old appear in eight of Arsenal’s nine Premier League matches, and while he hasn’t scored or assisted yet, thanks to his crossing ability, it seems like just a matter of time until he does. With a contract until 2024, he should be a key player at Arsenal for some time yet.
#15 Pablo Mari - £85,000 per week
Signed in January 2020 from Flamengo, Arsenal fans have not yet seen the best from defender Pablo Mari. In fact, they’ve barely seen the Spaniard at all. He’s only played three games since joining the Gunners and is still on the shelf with a significant ankle injury.
How much longer Mari will be out for remains a question mark right now. But he’s likely sitting pretty given that by all reports, he’s making around £85k per week on his deal that takes him to the summer of 2024.
#14 Shkodran Mustafi - £90,000 per week
Usually classed as a highly expensive mistake, defender Shkodran Mustafi has been with Arsenal since his move there for around £35m in the summer of 2016. His strong performances at Euro 2016 for Germany convinced the club to sign him on a £90k per week deal. But he’s largely struggled since then.
Mustafi came under serious criticism for some major errors in the 2018-19 season and made just 15 Premier League appearances in 2019-20. While he’s appeared four times in all competitions during the current campaign, his deal expires at the end of the season – and it’s unlikely Arsenal will be willing to renew it.
#13 Gabriel Martinelli - £90,000 per week
One of the most highly-rated prospects in the Premier League, Brazil’s Gabriel Martinelli joined Arsenal in the summer of 2019. And during his first season at the club, he made quite the impact. Martinelli was arguably the Gunners’ best player in their Europa League campaign, scoring three goals, and he ended the season with 10 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions.
The Brazilian signed a new deal with the Gunners in the summer, upgrading his wage to a reported £90k per week, but injuries have curtailed his burgeoning career since. He’s expected to make his return in 2021, and Arsenal fans will be hoping he continues on his impressive trajectory.
#12 Sokratis - £92,000 per week
Another player who seems potentially surplus to requirements at Arsenal, Greek defender Sokratis was signed in the summer of 2018 for around £17m and currently earns a hefty £92k per week. However, there’s little chance of him breaking back into the starting XI any time soon.
Sokratis made just 19 Premier League appearances in 2019-20 and has now been left out of Arsenal’s Premier League squad by Mikel Arteta. With his contract due to expire in the summer of 2021, the likelihood is that he’ll be walking away from the Emirates on a free transfer when the time comes.
#11 Granit Xhaka - £100,000 per week
Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka has made an impressive turnaround at Arsenal, considering that he was stripped of the club’s captaincy only a year ago after abusing Gunners fans. He was expected to leave the club in January 2020 but was instead kept by Mikel Arteta and is now a key member of Arsenal’s starting XI again.
With a contract that will keep him at the club until 2023, Xhaka is now expected to remain as part of the Gunners’ midfield for the foreseeable future. If he’s genuinely committed, he should stand as one of the club’s better players.
#10 Nicolas Pepe - £100,000 per week
Arsenal’s record signing, Nicolas Pepe, was bought to the Emirates from Lille for a massive fee of £72m. His contract is almost as big as that transfer fee, as he currently earns a reported £100k per week in a deal that runs until the summer of 2024.
However, the jury is still largely out on the Ivorian when it comes to his performances on the pitch. Pepe did show flashes of brilliance in his debut season and scored eight goals in his 42 appearances. But he’s flattered to deceive on occasion, too, and was recently sent off in Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Leeds.
Essentially, there’s a long way for him to go before he justifies his transfer fee.
#9 Bernd Leno - £100,000 per week
Signed in the summer of 2018 as the long-term replacement for veteran Petr Cech, goalkeeper Bernd Leno currently stands as Arsenal’s #1. He’s been a solid success since arriving, adding some stability to the Gunners’ defense, and appears to be a fan favorite too.
At the age of 28, he’s still very young for a goalkeeper. And with a contract that takes him until the summer of 2023, he should be cemented as Arsenal’s first-choice shot-stopper for a long time to come.
#8 Sead Kolasinac - £100,000 per week
Another player who’s been in and out of Arsenal’s first time since his arrival in the summer of 2017, left-back Sead Kolasinac, joined the Gunners on a free transfer from Schalke. That might go some way to explaining his hefty wage packet – giving him £100k per week.
This season has seen the Bosnian make just one appearance in the Premier League; However, he has played another six games in the various cup competitions the Gunners are involved in. Clearly not out of Mikel Arteta’s thoughts just yet, he’ll hope to break back into the first team soon.
#7 David Luiz - £100,962 per week
Eyebrows were raised this summer when veteran defender David Luiz signed a new one-year deal with Arsenal, extending his £100k-per-week deal until the summer of 2021. The 33-year-old joined the club from London rivals Chelsea in 2019 but hardly had the strongest season in 2019-20.
However, with plenty of experience under his belt, the Brazilian will still likely be able to play a key role for the Gunners this season – particularly as many of their other defenders are relatively inexperienced at the Premier League level. Whether he remains at the Emirates after next summer, however, is a question mark.
#6 Hector Bellerin - £110,000 per week
One of Arsenal’s key players for almost a decade now, Hector Bellerin’s recent years at the Emirates have been troubled by injuries. He was kept out for the majority of the 2018-19 season with a severe knee injury, and although he returned in the 2019-20 campaign, he still struggled to reach his previous levels.
However, the Spaniard is now back and fully fit and has thus far completed all of Arsenal’s nine Premier League matches. Despite all of his experience, he’s also still young at 25, and with his current £110k-per-week deal running until 2023, Mikel Arteta will be hoping to be able to rely on him to play a key role in the future.
#5 Alexandre Lacazette - £182,063 per week
French striker Alexandre Lacazette was signed by Arsenal back in 2017 for a then-club record fee of £46.5m and currently earns a hefty £182k per week. Since arriving at the Emirates, Lacazette has been able to score 51 goals in 136 appearances – 40 of them in the Premier League – and was named as Arsenal’s Player of the Season in 2018-19.
However, the 2019-20 season often saw him dropped to the bench in favor of youngster Eddie Nketiah, and some reports even suggested he could be on his way out of the club. That hasn’t happened yet, but with his contract due to expire in 2022, a decision will probably need to be made about his future soon.
#4 Willian - £192,308 per week
A big signing in the summer of 2020, Willian didn’t cost Arsenal a penny, as he joined the club on a free transfer following the end of his contract with London rivals Chelsea. However, the fact that Arsenal have been willing to sign a 32-year-old to a two-year, £192k-per-week deal has raised some eyebrows.
It’s still early days, but thus far, Willian has failed to live up to expectations. The Brazilian scored and assisted on his Gunners debut, but he’s largely flattered to deceive since then. He’ll need to ensure his form improves soon if he doesn’t want to be seen as a very expensive flop by Arsenal fans.
#3 Thomas Partey - £250,000 per week
Arsenal’s latest big signing, Thomas Partey, cost around £45m to bring to the Emirates and has been handed a huge £250k-per-week deal, making him one of the Gunners’ best-paid players. Thus far, of course, he’s only played four matches – meaning the jury is still out on whether he’ll be a success.
However, the Ghanaian international enjoyed a fantastic six seasons at Atletico Madrid, where he established himself as one of Europe’s very best midfielders. If he can reproduce the same kind of form at Arsenal, he should become a fan favorite – as well as one of the Premier League’s top stars.
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - £350,000 per week
Months of speculation were ended this summer when Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finally signed a new deal to keep him at the Emirates. His new contract pays him a reported £350k per week and will run until 2024 – at which point the Gabonese striker will be 35 years old.
Whether he’ll stay at Arsenal any longer than that or move onto pastures new remains to be seen. However, for now, he remains the Gunners’ talisman. His form as of late hasn’t been great, but after scoring a tremendous 74 goals in 120 games for Arsenal, it’s hard to overlook him as one of the Premier League’s most dangerous marksmen.
#1 Mesut Ozil - £350,000 per week
Arsenal’s joint-highest paid player is no longer part of their active squad in what has become a truly farcical situation. Mesut Ozil – who signed a deal worth £350k per week back in 2018 – will remain an Arsenal player until the summer of 2021 but will surely move on after that.
Left out of both Arsenal’s Premier League and Europa League squads, it appears that the German playmaker has played his final game for the Gunners. It’s a sad ending for Ozil, who joined the club back in 2013 for what was then a club-record fee of £42.5m.
Ozil has had plenty of great moments at the Emirates and helped Arsenal to win three FA Cups during his time at the club. However, due to recent accusations of laziness, it seems like Arsenal fans probably won’t miss him when he’s gone, meaning this acrimonious situation can’t end soon enough.
